New public opinion research from More in Common and the Common Ground Justice Project finds Britons think the justice system is broken, with widespread demands for radical change. The research uncovers deep public scepticism about whether prison is working, and support for shifting funds from prison expansion to community sentencing. This report explores the public's varied starting points, common aims and guiding principles for justice system reform.
The public thinks the criminal justice system is broken
As with many parts of public life today, most Britons don’t think our criminal justice system (our police, our courts, our prison and probation system) is working. More than half of Britons (58 per cent) believe the criminal justice system does a bad job at reducing crime and two in five (39 per cent) think the system does a bad job at protecting the public.
Part of that is driven by a feeling prisons are ineffective. Only one in five Britons think prison actually reduces likelihood of reoffending and more think that prisons increase the likelihood of an individual reoffending. In this context, fewer than three in ten Britons think all of the £10bn forecast budget earmarked for building more prison cells should be dedicated to this purpose, with a majority (59 per cent) in favour of diverting some or all funds to community sentencing.
I just think the system at present isn't working, especially for first time offenders … that opportunity should be there for them. I think it is better to rehabilitate and try and get them to be contributing members of the community rather than putting them in prison and them just coming out worse.
Huma, Civic Pragmatist, Taunton
Strong demands for change
Nine in ten Britons think the criminal justice system is in need of change and half want radical change. Those who have personally fallen victim to crime are particularly in favour of serious change. The desire for reform of the criminal justice system is at a similar level to desire for reform in the economy, NHS and immigration system.
Understanding the public’s differing starting points
While there is widespread agreement that the system needs significant change and consensus on the desired outcomes of criminal justice, the public diverge on how to achieve those goals. Britons broadly fall into three groups in their attitudes towards criminal justice reform: the punishment-first group (45 per cent of Britons), the balancer group (29 per cent of Britons) and the rehabilitation-first group (26 per cent of Britons). The rehabilitation-first group is notably overrepresented among those working in the public and charity sectors. Understanding the starting points and concerns of each of these groups is key to designing a justice system that can command their support. More in Common’s British Seven Segments help to shine a light on what that change might look like in practice.
Finding common ground on justice reform
While the segments have distinctive starting points on criminal justice, there are common principles that shape the outcomes Britons want their justice system to deliver. Most segments want to ensure offenders are punished, held accountable for what they’ve done and that the sentence fits the crime. Britons would also like to see offenders make a contribution to their community.
The poorer in our communities, their journey to prison is very quick. But if you have money and you can afford top tier defences for exactly the same crime, you'd probably get off and that's wrong. Think of the Huw Edwards saga. How ridiculous is that, that he got away with a suspended sentence yet somebody can swear at a football match and get six months in prison. It's just bonkers.
Damien, Disengaged Traditionalist, Bolton
Openness to community alternatives
Three in five Britons (60 percent) support expanding the use of community sentences for certain offenders who are currently sent to prison. Levels of support for community sentences are higher among those who have been victims of crime. This seems driven both by empathy around systemic drivers of crime, and a pragmatic ‘do what works’ approach. For the ‘punishment-first’ group, support for community sentencing increases significantly in cases where a prison "backstop" is included for non-compliance.
By saying to them, right, okay, you've committed this crime, however for a period of 12 months or whatever, you've got to now do this, give them a reason to get up in the morning to go to work, to contribute into the country by the taxes and what have you. The fact that they've got that they've got to behave otherwise they will be in prison, but the prisons let them down, let us down because they don't, as I said previously is very much like a holiday camp, so that's not really a deterrent.
Tina, Loyal National, Taunton